1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in vehicle spare tire carriers and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a wire rope spare tire carrier actuated by a pivotal lever arm disposed remotely with respect to the storage position of the tire.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is common practice today to secure or store the spare tire of a pickup truck beneath the bed of the truck by means of an elongated bracket plate which is usually pivotally secured at one end to the underneath side of the truck bed. The opposite end of the bracket is normally connected to the truck by a threaded stud and bolt, and in order to remove the spare tire one must crawl beneath the bed of the pickup truck, unscrew the bracket nut and simultaneously exert an upward pressure on the tire for holding it in position to preclude an accidental dropping from the stored position. One end of the bracket may then be lowered simultaneously with the tire it is supporting, and the tire may then be pulled or slide from under the truck in order that the spare tire may be used for whatever purpose it is needed, as for example to change with another tire, or for repair thereof.
The remount of the spare tire in the storage position is particularly cumbersome and usually requires a considerable amount of strength on the part of the person mounting the tire since the tire must be fitted back against the bracket and then the tire and bracket simultaneously lifted into a position near or against the under side of the truck bed so that the bracket may be attached to the threaded stud. The bolt must then be secured to the stud member in order to secure the tire and bracket in position. The disadvantages of this method and means for storing of a pickup truck spare tire will be apparent.
Several solutions to this problem have been presented in the way of wire rope or cable attachments for the spare tire wherein the spare tire may be winched into position or pulled into position by a series of pulleys and levers as taught by the Searcy et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,864, issued July 2, 1968 and entitled "Handling and Storage Apparatus for a Spare Tire and Wheel Assembly on a Vehicle." The Searcy patent includes an elongated lever arm pivotally secured to the rear bumper of a pickup truck, a first pulley located under the bed of the pickup truck adjacent the spare tire storage position, and a second pulley mounted on the rear bumper of the truck and spaced from the pivot point of the lever arm. A wire rope or cable extends from a bracket for holding the spare tire, around the first and second pulley and to the lever arm where it is attached thereto whereby the lever arm may be rotated away from the second pulley in order to lift the spare tire into the storage position under the vehicle bed. When the tire is lifted into position, the lever arm is held adjacent the rear bumper of the truck and is locked into position by an eyelet and padlock provided on the bumper of the truck. One problem with the Searcy device is that should the lock fail or accidentally come open, the tension in the cable will cause the lever arm to swing free, thereby releasing the spare tire onto the ground and creating a safety hazard. In addition, the spare tire holding bracket shown by Searcy is a rather complicated device having spring-loaded pivotal arms which fit through the center hole in the spare tire wheel which notches in these brackets grip the wheel member. However, in the event the tire becomes loose and free to bounce around while beneath the truck bed, the lever arms could become dislodged thereby causing loss of the spare tire.
Still additional prior patents disclose devices for securing a spare tire for a pickup truck in a manner for overcoming the problems thereof, such as the Walker U.S. Pat. No. 2,688,372, issued Sept. 7, 1954 and entitled "Vehicle Having Offset Drive Shaft and Tire Located Adjacent Thereto;" Fruetel U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,819 issued Aug. 6, 1968 and entitled "Spare Tire Holder for Vehicles"; Hardison U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,413, issued Nov. 24, 1970, and entitled "Apparatus for Storing Spare Wheels Under Vehicles"; Cluff U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,397, issued Jan. 12, 1971, and entitled "Spare Tire Lift and Carrier"; Kuhns U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,264, issued Feb. 11, 1975 and entitled "Spare Tire Mount"; and Australian Pat. No. 207,575, issued April, 1957. The Walker patent provides a means for raising a spare tire into a storage position beneath the floor of the usual passenger vehicle, and for lowering thereof when the tire is required. The raising and lowering device cannot be actuated as long as a particularly selected passenger door is in a closed position, and the device merely raises and lowers the tire in a vertical path, making retrieval of the tire and replacing thereof difficult. The Fruetel patent utilizes a cable having one free end provided with a dished bar which centers itself crosswire under the central opening of the wheel of a spare tire, and the opposite end secured to a winch. Rotation of the winch bar draws the tire and wheel assembly upwardly to its storage position and a lock secures the winch bar releasably against rotation to support the tire in the storage position.
The Cluff device comprises a pulley suspended beneath the bed of a flat bed vehicle, and a cable threaded through the pulley and passing over a second pulley, and having a mounting bracket at one end thereof, extends rearwardly for connection with a winch. The rotation of the winch in alternate directions raises and lowers the spare tire. The Hardison patent relates to a spare tire storing apparatus comprising a cable detachably connected with the wheel by means of a pair of separable members, one of which has an inoperative disposition in which it is adapted to pass through the axle opening of the wheel and an operative disposition in which it is adapted to lift the wheel in response to shortening the length of the cable. The other element is adapted to be interposed in the axle opening between the cable and the wheel to center the cable therein during a wheel lifting operation. The Kuhns spare tire mount includes a winch located in a housing adapted to be connected to the inside surface of the sidewall of the vehicle next to access holes; a flexible cable having one end secured to the winch shaft and another end releasably coupled to the spare tire; and a bracket attached to the underside of the vehicle for supporting the cable and hence the tire beneath the vehicle. A ratchet wheel and pawl are provided for the winch shaft for normally allowing the shaft to be rotated in one direction to wind the cable on the shaft for raising the spare tire upward to the storage position beneath the vehicle. The winch shaft is provided with a threaded end for receiving a lug nut whereby the shaft may be rotated by the usual lug wrench.
In order to solve the present day problems in the storage and retrieval of spare tire and wheels mounted on the underside of a pickup truck bed, or the like, a wire rope carrier has been developed as shown in the Smith application Ser. No. 114,065, filed Jan. 21, 1981, and entitled "Wire Rope Spare Tire Carrier" now U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,107, issued May 11, 1982, and with which I am familiar. This device has effectively solved the problem, but as a practical matter, has created certain additional problems. For example, a pulley is pivotally mounted in the proximity of the storage position for the spare tire for receiving the wire rope therearound, but in use this pulley "rocks" and quickly creates a "kink" in the cable, thus rendering operation of the device difficult. In addition, the particular arrangement between the actuating lever and the second pulley creates a problem in that the position of the pulley and locking or latching arrangement of the lever are inefficient.